Harmonious Relationship Between the Old and the Contemporary Architecture

March 30, 2015

This house was built in 1923 and is owned by the Portuguese architect Ricardo Morena, who faced one of the most difficult tasks for an architect, namely to redesign his own house. Taking into account the constraints of the existing building, the architect intended to increase the feeling of freedom, to connect more the interior with the exterior. At the same time, he wanted a harmonious relationship between the historic and contemporary architectural values as a bridge between two moments in time. From the exterior, the house doesn’t look much changed; the exterior walls were preserved and restored with traditional materials.

In the interior there have been major changes, a volume of wood being in the center of attention. This includes the common areas: living room, kitchen and an office. In the same volume of wood there are carved stairs that lead you to the private area above. On the same system, the upstairs spaces are organized also in volumes, but this time, they are white. The harmony between white and wood is complemented by the old brick walls. After the renovations, the house won a poetic impression that communicates very well with the historical value of the house. [Photo Ricardo Oliveira Alves]